Rob Zastryzny’s Shoes

One of the things that I love most about the current age in which we live is the access to our heroes. Be they athletes, politicians, movie stars or astronauts, most celebrities are easily accessible. Many people use this newfound access to express support, appreciation or encouragement. I’m a bit different. I used it to get a pair of Rob Zastryzny’s shoes. Let me start at the beginning.

I love following the Cubs on the Twitter, both members of the elite big league club and those who are toiling in the minor leagues, working their way to Wrigley Field. That is how I found Rob’s Twitter feed. Rob is a left-handed starting pitcher, and was the Cubs #2 draft pick in 2013 out of the University of Missouri Columbia and spent part of last season in the Cubs organization, where he pitched well in both Kane County and Boise. All that being said, he’s entertaining to follow on Twitter and that’s where our story picks up.

Rob posted this picture and asked if anyone would be willing to trade Nintendo GameCube games for the shoes and card. He was looking for 2 games in particular and I was pretty sure that somewhere in my collection I had at least one of them. I found the game box and asked if the offer was still on the table. Rob responded that it was and sent me the address to mail the game.

Not wanting to rip him off with a scratched game, I decided to test it in my Wii, where my worst fears came true, as the game wouldn’t even begin to load. I headed back to Twitter with my tail between my legs and shared the bad news. Rob was more than gracious and we were able to work out a deal where I ended up sending him a few different games and the shoes and card were mine, after assuring him that I would remain a Cubs fan.

As luck would have it, the package arrived on my birthday, with both cleats signed and the autographed card flawless as well.

I’m looking forward to having these as a big part of my collection and being the envy of my friends when Rob Zastryzny is starting for the Chicago Cubs.